TAGS IN UKRAINE

I've posted some of these on Facebook (find me as Coleen Franks Ukraine to get the right "me"), but decided to post all here together.  I must admit to like the shabby look.  The leaves were collected from our street in central Ukraine this past autumn.  I love things from nature and when we travel I always have a book so I can slip some leaves or flowers in to dry from distant places.

The papers are from a 1947 Webster's Dictionary we've moved from place to place for eons.  It's a monster and I won't use it up in my lifetime, but the paper is very thin and perfect for applying with glue for mixed-media work.  It's really my preferred choice for a background. Hoping one of my grand kids will like to craft so I can pass it on.  A legacy, huh!

This beautiful fern actually is the only piece that came right from my yard.  The foreign words over my dictionary page say "Jesus Christ" in Russian.  The shabby/dirty looking trim below was died with raspberries over the summer.  And I have so many seed beads I decided one day they'd make a good glitter decoration.  I applied them with Glossy Accents.

A little bit of music paper here too.  Someone sent me this curly doll hair.  Maybe someday I'll make dolls with the kids I work with, but in the meantime I thought it was pretty here.

I believe these little gold things are called micro-balls.  I found them in Germany last year and I can't read German so you probably know better than I what to call them.  Compliments nature nicely.

So that is most of my collection from the fall.  Found this cool yarn right here in Ukraine.   Thanks for stopping by and I love when you leave comments.  Blessings to you all.

Be Friends with Failure

 As artists we always have this interior critic running a dialogue.  "Is this good enough?"  You're not really an artist."  "Should I really be doing this?" This little cartoon will help your perspective.  Click the link below to go to "doodle alley, comics that nourish."

Be Friends with Failure

ALTERED VINTAGE CHILDREN'S BOOK

I wanted to share this great book.  I see journal/altered book possibilities galore.  I think you'll like it too.  A video by ItsonlyaDream97.

Jennibellie ~ Flowers from Scraps

These are the cutest flowers ever and you'll love how simple they are.  A great way to use up those scraps we always have so many left over.



And if you still need more flower making ideas then go to my Pinterest board called "Crafting Flowers" for lots more tutorials:  www.pinterest.com/coleenfranks

ALTERED ART

I just love old things and this leather suitcase was in our attic for years.  Someone gave it to us almost 20 years ago when we came to the mission field to pack our things in.  Sometimes I just wish there would be a history we could hear.  I just wonder the places this old suitcase has traveled before it even got to us.  I wonder if the first owners are even still living and how interesting it would be for them to see what's happened to it.  Along with my love of old things and history, a number of these pictures are relatives of friends of mine..  The flowers and colors are from napkins.  Yet to be done is the other side.  Hope you like it.  Let me know what you think.

VINTAGE ARTIST TRADING CARD

I think most of you know I like to do crafts with a vintage theme. This ATC was with a real photograph someone sent to me. They always fascinate me because I wonder about them. They are/were real people with real lives. They lived, married, had families and died. Sometimes I wonder, did they know God? Are they in heaven now? It's always more interesting to work with a real photo because it brings this dimension of life to the project. This one was sent to someone in America, but got lost along the way. I received a letter once that went all the way to Jakarta before it reached us here in Ukraine. I know that because it had Jakarta stamped on the envelope. I was amazed that it found us. Recently an "undeliverable" letter was returned to us from the U.S. Now that is a lot of miles for something to travel. Hope you like my little piece. Sure appreciate when you leave comments and would love it if you followed on my blog. Blessings to all, Coleen

VINTAGE UKRAINE

Do we think of these rocks as vintage? We were in western Ukraine for a prayer retreat this past week led by my husband Jeff. We visited this lovely waterfall as one of our mini-excursions. The area is called the Carpathian Mountains, but I would liken them to foothills of say Arkansas. They are tall enough to ski, but not like the Rocky Mountains. It was beautiful with fall leaves of yellow, orange and even some red. We also got to experience our first snow storm of the season as we left the mountains on Saturday.




Vintage view looking down into a country village from a hilltop.



What a relic this was. The Ukrainians think nothing of this old motorcycle, but I thought it was so cool with it's sidecar revamped for hauling. The Ukrainians are the most practical and innovative people. I am often amazed.



This old bridge was rich with beautiful grain in the heavy boards and rusty framework.

THE HAT

Another skinny done in a swap on Swap-bot.com Theme was vintage hat.

ANOTHER VINTAGE SKINNY

I just love the old vintage advertisements. This one is really funny. To think women wore such contraptions, all for the sake of beauty. Nothing wrong with wanting to be beautiful of course, I mean we are women, afterall, it's our girlhood dream, but torture to get there is another story. Hope you like it.